They returned to the waiting room, while the Minazuki Siblings headed for the stage. The two groups passed each other.
A chill swept over the trainees' bodies, making them shudder.
"Just as expected of Ice Release. It's really cold."
The Minazuki Siblings wore plain, spotless robes adorned with snowflake patterns.
They looked pure and aloof, like flowers blooming atop snowy mountains—meant to be admired only from afar, vanishing into wind and snow if one came too close.
After taking the stage, the two gave slight bows to the audience and the dignitaries in the viewing stands, then nodded lightly to Xinyu.
Xinyu immediately understood and left, handing the stage over entirely to the siblings.
With their heads lowered, the siblings stood motionless at the center of the stage. Yet before long, specks of snow began drifting down from the sky.
The blazing sun overhead had not disappeared, yet snowflakes had appeared inside the arena. It felt utterly unreal.
Soon, the snow grew heavier. Some audience members caught the large flakes in their hands and discovered that they were not the ordinary snow people usually saw.
Instead, they were formed from numerous large ice crystals, vastly different from the usual hexagonal snowflakes.
Still, no one paid much attention to it. They all knew it had to be the Minazuki duo's specialty—Ice Release.
The snowfall remained at a steady, moderate level, leaving the audience pleasantly cool without making them feel cold.
That alone delighted everyone.
Then, a cool male voice rose from the stage. Accompanied by the snow filling the sky, it evoked an overwhelming sense of solitude.
At once, all the noise vanished. The only sound in the entire arena was singing.
A thin layer of ice slowly spread across the stage floor. Sister Minazuki Rei began dancing gracefully across it,